Rendering Comparison: 2014 Volkswagen GTI MCE

Rendering Comparison: So I'm watching last week all of the wonderful images bubbling out of the New York Autoshow and I see that VW is giving the Golf and GTI a nice makeover. I'm impressed it is getting a fresh so quickly.

I was never thrilled with the 2010 GTI refresh as I didn't think the completely blacked out lower grille insert was a great look. I posted that while I loved the car, it would have looked less "heavy" with a color matched lower grille insert.

Now looking at this new GTI refresh in more detail, it slaps me in the face - the color-matched lower grille. Maybe they read my mind - j/k :) It was a quick little chop, but one I was pleasantly surprised to see was actually spot on! :)

Confirmed Edits:

Chop	Description
Grille Change	Re-colored the grille insert to match body color

All source photos copyright original owners

Rendering Comparison: 2013 Chevrolet Traverse MCE

Rendering Comparison: Welcome to my new segment on AR where I'll be comparing my renderings against the new production vehicles. This will mostly apply to MCEs that I speculate on from time to time.

So let's get down to business with the original vehicle and my rendering. Then we'll see how close I got to the real deal.

I did the MCE (show above in blue) early after the release of the original Traverse (shown above in silver). I found the rear end lacking details so I redesigned it to align more visually with the Equinox.

When I saw Chevrolet actual MCE for 2013 (see below) I was blown away buy how close many of the alterations I did were actually made!

Confirmed Edits:

Chop	Description
Tailgate	Moved tailgate handle to bottom and grafted the license place area from that of the Equinox
Tail Lights	Added clear lens to outer light housing.
Rear Bumper	After moving license plate up into tail gate I smoothed over the bumper cover for a unified look

What do you think - pretty close huh? :)

All source photos copyright original owners

Rumored: 2014 Malibu MCE

Personal File: There has been a lot of talk about the sudden about-face - literally - on Chevrolet brand vehicles. With the new Impala and updated Traverse, Chevrolet has set about to remake their now established split face grille.

Not surprisingly, the 2013 Malibu was unveiled and later released without the new corporate face established with the vehicles above. Development had long since been done. Rumors flew and were confirmed by January of this year that an unplanned 18-month MCE would be done to "adjust" the look as well as address rear seating concerns and other issues.

Wondering how the new "beak" would look I decided to try a rendering similar to the Cruze I did last year. I've seen online where many artists have simply copied the entire Impala over the front of the car but I doubt it will be a literal Xerox copy. My theory is GM will spend as little money as possible on hard points and focus instead on the hood, front fascia, grilles, and lighting assemblies.

Using my newly integrated Before-and-After plugin, here is my take on what the MCE might look like. What do you think? Click around the image or move the slider to view different areas of the chop. Or click the before and the after buttons below the rendering. Comments on the rendering or the new plugin are appreciated!

I just read on Jalopnik the new face might be making a special appearance at New York NAIAS - that would be a great way to end a great showing for Chevrolet! It has been a great show for GM.

All source photos copyright original owners

Rumored: 2014 Chevy Cruze MCE

Personal File: Lot's of recent rumblings online of the 2014 Chevrolet Cruze getting a 'rush job' MCE to visually align it with the new Impala and upcoming SS sedan designs. GMInsideNews and a few other outlets have released renderings that tease of what that could look like in various forms.

I was surprised to see this as I had been dabbling with something like it just for fun myself back in June. Never having liked the Cruze visually, I was exploring what could be done to update it and 'bridge the visual gap' between the two very differently designed 2013 Malibu and the future 2014 Impala sedans. My rendering combined aspects of both vehicles into a clean and sharp MCE.

Coming back to this chop again after the rumors started surfacing, I wanted to put a little more polish on the rendering. Here is a list of what has been done to a 2012 RS Cruze:

• revised c-pillar
  
• new wheels from Malibu
  
• hood and headlights and grille from Impala heavily brushed
  
• lower fascia heavily modified from Malibu heavily brushed
  
• reworked tail light shape
  

What do you think? Will GM will do something like this or are all the rumors just that - bunk?

All source photos copyright original owners

A Nissan Murano MCE inspired by the 2011 Nissan Quest

Personal File: I just saw the newly released images of the production 2011 Nissan Quest and the design is growing on me the more I study the images. I wasn't sold on the Nissan Murano redesign when it came out a few years back but this new corporate face is really starting to come together.

The new Quest inspired me to see what the Murano might look like with a similar front end treatment. With an nip and a tuck and a slightly smaller grille opening, I think the Quest front end works great on the Murano. Proportions are better balanced and there is more design cohesion in front of the vehicle.

What do you think?

All source photos copyright original owners.

Automotive Renderings receives a mid-cycle enhancement

Personal File: I figured it was time to changes things up a little so I decided to go with a completely new look and feel for the site. You've probably seen the changes already but I've been tweaking features over the last few days and wanted to make it 'official.'

I've added some new features (image gallery, social network tools, etc), widened the main article area for larger images, and moved all the secondary content to the second column.

An Early Look at the 2011 Dodge Charger

From Edmunds InsideLine: A couple weeks ago we got our best glimpse yet of the refreshed 2011 Dodge Charger. It was such a clean look, we wouldn't be surprised if it was a setup. But who cares? We got to see the new face of the Charger, which isn't all that different from the old face of the Charger. It's a refresh after all, not a complete redesign.

It did, however, give us enough to generate this photo illustration of the complete car, especially since Dodge has been kind enough to throw out a few hints over the last year or so.

Click here to view this article.

All source photos copyright original owners.

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UPDATE: The link to this article no longer exists as Edmunds' Inside Line was discontinued in 2013. You can still view the original article via the Wayback Machine.

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2011 Chevrolet Colorado - MCE projection

Personal File: I have a growing distaste for the current generation small/mid-size truck offerings by General Motors. GM made some really bad design decisions with the front ends on both vehicles thanks in part to the platform sharing with Izuzu.

I've been contemplating doing a mid-cycle enhancement projection on the Colorado for a long time now and finally sat down and took at a stab at it tonight. I wanted to remove the old Chevrolet "bar" theme from the previous Silverado and freshen it up a little so it is more in line with the designs of the new Tahoe and Silverado. What do you think?

All source photos copyright original owners

2011 Chrysler Sebring - Mid-cycle Enhancement by way of 200C Concept?

Personal File: Seems the fate of the much maligned Chrysler Sebring and platform mate Dodge Avenger are not as bad as originally reported. According to reports by AutoWeek and AutoBlog, it appears the platform may be getting a much needed mid-cycle enhancement. This MCE will hopefully help boost sales until fresh product (and capital) from Fiat can arrive by 2012.

If this is the case, I certainly hope they will integrate design cues from the stunning 200c concept shown at Detroit. In the spirit of this news, I have rendered what a 2011 Sebring might very much look like if they go in this direction. Updates include revised front clip from 200c, completely reworked profile (removed all Crossfire cues), new wheels, new side door trim from 300c, deletion of c-pillar black plastic triangle, and new chrome ring around the top of the doors

What do you think? Click the image above for a larger view.

All source photos copyright original owners